From the History of Barron County, Wisconsin. H. C. Cooper,
Jr., & Co., 1922, pp. 140-141.

Peter Sockness, a retired farmer of Barron Township, was born in
Trondjem, Norway, Sept. 9, 1866, son of Ole and Mary (Øyen) Sockness,
the latter of whom died in Norway, and the former of whom came to
America, settled on a farm in South Dakota, and there spent the
remainder of his life.

There were eight children in the family, the seven besides Peter,
being: Erick, of Wheeler, Wis.; Ole, who died in Menomonie, Wis.;
Gertrude, wife of Sever Stein, of South Dakota; Mary, wife of Peter Rambraut,
of North Dakota; Sever, of Phillips, Wis.; and Sarah and Andrew, who
live in Norway.

Peter came to America in the spring of 1888, and found his first
employment with Knapp, Stout & Co., at Menomonie, Wis. Next, with
headquarters at Eau Claire, he worked in the lumber woods in the
winter seasons and in sawmills in the summer. In 1894 he went to
Minneapolis. It was in 1898 that he located permanently in Barron
County, and bought 80 acres of wild land in Barron Township, to the
development of which he devoted his attention. He now has a good farm
of 200 acres, five miles northwest of Barron City, with 75 acres under
the plow. The house is a frame structure of two stories, the barn is
commodious, the silo is adequate for its needs, and the other
buildings are all in good condition. The place is well equipped with
tools, implements and machinery, and well fenced. Mr. Sockness carried
on general farming and made a specialty of dairying, with a good herd
of Shorthorn cattle. He is now practically retired, having rented the
farm to his sons, Olaf and Ingwald.

He is well liked in the community; he served one term as town
supervisor, but declined to qualify for the second; he did good work
for three years as a director of his school district, and he has also
in other ways demonstrated his worth as a public spirited citizen. His
financial interests include stock in the Barron Co-operative Creamery.

Mr. Sockness married Inga Olson who was born in Trondjem, Norway,
April 21, 1865, daughter of Ole and Carrie Olson. Her parents died in
Norway. She came to America in the fall of 1890 with her sister, Mary,
now Mrs. Michael Nelson, of Minneapolis. Her brother, Ole O., is
living in Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Sockness have five children: Marie
Christine, born June 3, 1897; Olaf Ole, born Aug. 28, 1898; Ingwald
Palmer, born July 20, 1900; Martha Galena, born Jan. 4, 1902, a
graduate of the Eau Claire Business College, and Anna Elina, born Aug.
7, 1904.